Police shooting in Minneapolis suburb leads to chaos

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Another death at the hands of police. Another protest. The news often feels like a horrifying rendition of "Groundhog Day." While personal and institutionalized racism play an indisputable role in many, if not most, such cases, the tragedy in Brooklyn Center, Minn., points to a compounding problem as well: human error. According to police, Daunte Wright lost his life to an accident, after being stopped for a reason (expired tags), arrested for a reason (an outstanding warrant related to an unregistered pistol), and restrained for a reason (attempting to flee). The question is, should any of those reasons—or a grievous, split-second error—reasonably result in death for an unarmed 20-year-old? Rooting out racism from law enforcement remains paramount. But if Wright's death truly was, as police say, an accident, then taking a hard look at the training and practices that led to it is also crucial. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

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** An all-too-familiar scene
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The Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center endured a second night of violent protests last night, a day after a city police officer killed Daunte Wright, a Black man, during a traffic stop. After a curfew and dispersal orders were ignored, local law enforcement, buttressed by state troopers and the Minnesota National Guard, deployed flashbangs, tear gas, and rubber bullets to disassemble the crowd. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said yesterday that Ofc. Kim Potter meant to use her Taser to subdue Wright but instead grabbed her gun and shot him. Both Gannon and Potter resigned today. —CBS News ([link removed])
* — "It's really a tragic thing that happened." President Biden has called for "peace and calm" in the wake of the shooting. "My prayers are with the family," Biden told reporters yesterday. "The question is, was it an accident? Was it intentional? That remains to be determined by a full-blown investigation," he said, describing the body camera video of the shooting as "fairly graphic." —NBC News ([link removed])
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* — "Appalling and dangerous." In Virginia, Attorney General Mark Herring announced yesterday that he is investigating whether there was an "unlawful pattern or practice of conduct" at the Windsor Police Department. In December, a uniformed Black U.S. Army medic was held at gunpoint, doused with pepper spray, and pushed to the ground during a traffic stop. —The New York Times ([link removed])
*
* — Chauvin defense begins. Prosecutors in the Derek Chauvin murder trial formally rested their case today, capping two weeks of intense and often emotional testimony about the death of George Floyd at the hands of the former Minneapolis police officer. The defense, beginning today, could wrap as early as Thursday, with closing arguments expected to take place next Monday. Stay tuned. —The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: 'Another horrific act of gun violence': One dead, officer injured in high school shooting in Knoxville, Tennessee —USA Today ([link removed])


** Freeman: The other cancel culture
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"Blacks protest and are told to leave the country. Blacks say our lives matter and we're told, no, blue lives do, or all lives do. Seditionists stormed the beacon of democracy, then walked home like they'd gone to a ballgame. Meanwhile, peaceful protestors angry over the killing of George Floyd are tear-gassed." —Mike Freeman in USA Today ([link removed])

Mike Freeman is the race and inequality editor at USA Today.

MORE: Peter Suciu: Will social media lead to police reform following recent high profile events? —Forbes ([link removed])


** 'This has deadly significance'
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In a segment on immigration last week, Fox News host Tucker Carlson referenced "white replacement theory"—a discriminatory trope that suggests people of color are "replacing" White Americans. In response, Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, is urging Fox News to fire Carlson for his "open-ended endorsement of white supremacist ideology," the first time the group has made such a demand. "I think we've really crossed a new threshold when a major news network dismisses this or pretends like it isn't important," Greenblatt told CNN. "Tucker has got to go." — ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: 'I felt hate more than anything': How an active-duty airman tried to start a civil war —ProPublica ([link removed])


** CDC to Michigan: 'Shut things down'
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said yesterday that Michigan should order new restrictions in response to an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases—most from the highly infectious B.1.1.7 variant—across the state. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has called on the federal government to send more vaccines but has been reluctant to order new restrictions. Last week, she asked residents to voluntarily limit activities and urged schools to temporarily halt in-person learning. But she stressed that "to be very clear, these are not orders, mandates, or requirements." —CNBC ([link removed])

MORE: U.S. seeks to pause J&J COVID-19 vaccine use after rare blood-clot cases —The Wall Street Journal ([link removed])
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** Rubin: Get off the fence
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"The GOP...needs not only a new leader and new members of Congress but also a new ideology and a new base. Since that surely is not happening anytime soon, the Liz Cheneys will need to consider why they are still Republicans and whether their efforts to support MAGA-compliant colleagues (for re-election in 2022, for example) make their and the country's dilemma worse." —Jennifer Rubin in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Jennifer Rubin is an attorney and political opinion columnist at
The Washington Post.

MORE: Meet the Texas veteran who could blaze a trail for the anti-Trump GOP —Politico ([link removed])


** Focus on the border
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To help deal with the surge of migrants at the southern border, the Biden Administration has struck an agreement with Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras to temporarily increase their border security in an effort to stop migrants from reaching the U.S. White House Press Sec. Jen Psaki said, "The objective is to make it more difficult to make the journey, and make crossing the borders more difficult." ([link removed])
* — Migrants from Central America and Mexico are fleeing rampant corruption and organized crime, as well as hunger caused by failing crops and climate change. Security forces in all three countries have been accused of intensifying the already dangerous trek through violence, extortion, and robbery. ([link removed])
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* — Numbers of asylum-seekers grew sharply throughout 2020 but further accelerated under President Biden, who ended many of his predecessor's policies, including one that made asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for court hearings in the U.S. ([link removed])
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* — Mexicans represent the largest proportion of people encountered by U.S. Border Patrol, and nearly all are single adults. More than half of arrivals from Honduras and Guatemala are families or children traveling alone. —The Guardian ([link removed])

MORE: Number of unaccompanied migrant children in Customs and Border Protection custody falls 45% —CNN ([link removed])


** Azari: Democratic values are under attack
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"Threats to democratic values—and failure to live up to democratic ideals—have a long history in America. And in many ways, these systemic challenges defy the influence of any one leader or administration. But there is evidence that Trumpism and its challenges to democratic values are lingering in the political system. We see this in the persistence of rhetoric that delegitimizes the opposition and voices racist views, and in the decline of bipartisan cooperation in the face of deeper governing divides." —Julia Azari on ([link removed]) FiveThirtyEight ([link removed])

Julia Azari is an associate professor of political science at Marquette University and the author of "Delivering the People's Message: The Changing Politics of the Presidential Mandate."

MORE: The U.S. needs stronger voting rights —Financial Times ([link removed])

People who have been clinically diagnosed with a mentally altering illness should have protection against harming themselves or others. Just like theme parks and entertainment venues warn patrons with other physical conditions that a ride or strobe lights could be dangerous for their health, we should be even more vigilant to protect those with mental illnesses from harming themselves or others. It's illegal to operate a vehicle or machinery while impaired; why should we not put guardrails on those who are known to have judgment-impairing mental illness? It's been proven time and again that certain conditions are ripe for danger, and where we have the ability to be proactive, why wouldn't we take appropriate measures?

Realizing the right to bear arms as a freedom in our country, we have suffered way too many times at the hands of those who proved deadly to themselves and others. A background check and waiting period is a reasonable safety measure. Gun activists should be able to reason more than anyone that a fellow gun owner who doesn't possess the respect, self-control, and training necessary to own a lethal weapon should not be allowed to own and have access to guns. It would seem in the NRA's best interest to police their own in order to protect the right for those who are responsible to legally bear arms.

I suffer from depression and anxiety disorder, and while I have thought about owning a gun for protection (I grew up in a hunting family and have some knowledge and training in firing a handgun), I know that my judgment can be affected by my mental state when I am struggling due to the need to adjust a medication or a seasonal depression change. I would not feel 100% safe with a gun in the house. I am under the care of a doctor and a normally functioning member of society and have lots of support. Depression is an illness due to chemical biological imbalances that requires treating and monitoring, just like any other disease. For instance, diabetics need insulin and, when left untreated, can lapse into a coma. Would anyone knowingly allow an untreated diabetic to drive a car?

Bottom line, common sense has a place in governing the safety of society. Society has changed, and reasonable, common-sense safeguards are needed to protect the innocent from those who pose a risk to the right to bear arms. —Cherie H., Georgia
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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